Disaster Update from Hattiesburg Habitat

Photo Courtesy of Matt Bush- Debris blocks Main Street in downtown Hattiesburg. A Sunday afternoon tornado cut a swath of destruction through much of the city including the University of Southern Mississippi. According the NWS at least 82 were injured in the city and over 300 homes and buildings damaged.

Following Sunday’s tornado that devastated parts of our community, we are happy to report that all of our Habitat families are present and accounted for. One of our partner families (a partner family is waiting for their Habitat House to be built) lost their apartment and all of their belongings but she and her children are all safe and sound.We are working with her and the community to meet her immediate needs. We have 60 homes completed in the Hattiesburg Area and not one shingle is missing- Praise the Lord! We were extremely fortunate to have weathered Sunday’s storm as well as we did. Because we were so blessed, we feel it our obligation to be a blessing to our community that needs us now. We have been supplying work teams with hard hats, gloves, and safety glasses to aid them in the recovery efforts this week as well as lending a helping hand where we are most needed.

Habitat for Humanity is not a first responder to disasters. Instead, we are a long term recovery solution and will continue to build homes for the families that need us, a number that no doubt will increase after the events of February 10th. The homes that we build are simple, decent, and affordable. They are also sturdy and safe thanks to the efforts of our volunteers. We thank you for your service. Please know that we will need you more than ever in the coming weeks and months to build more homes for more families that need us!

Our most immediate need is feeding the volunteer groups that will be coming in starting Sunday and will be here for the next six weeks. If you would like to help feed these hungry volunteers, please contact Amie, our Family and Volunteer Services manager at 601-582-4663 ext. 12 or by email at info@hattiesburghabitat.org. You can also sign up online!